Three Times Neku Wished for Joshua for Christmas
by Azure Lullaby
Summary: Every year at Christmas, Neku wishes that Joshua would meet him at Hachiko.


**title:** Three Times Neku Wished for Joshua for Christmas**  
rating/warning:** PG-13/T**  
characters/pairings:** Neku/Joshua**  
word count:** ~1200**  
summary:** Every year at Christmas, Neku wishes that Joshua would meet him at Hachiko. Written for zilleniose during subarashiki_ds's Secret Santa exchange.  
**disclaimer:** I do not own _The World Ends With You_.

The first Christmas Eve after the Reaper's Game, Neku left the CAT street café. Even now, Mr. Hanekoma would erratically open his shop and serve coffee that was probably not worth as much as he spent on it. With a hot cappuccino in hand, Neku ventured out into the snow to the statue of Hachiko. Here, he became partners with people who taught him that he could not truly become himself without opening himself to others. And it was here that Shiki found him two hours later.

"Neku? What are you doing here by yourself? You'll catch cold." Shiki wrapped her scarf around his neck.

Neku wrapped it closer around himself. "Thanks." He smiled up at his first partner. It always surprised him whenever he saw short brown hair and glasses in the place of flowing pink hair and pink eyes to match. Those belong to Eri, another girl he has come to like. But this girl is still the Shiki he grew close to in the game: master seamstress who was never without Mr. Mew, now overflowing with confidence.

She took her place next to Neku, watching the crowds meander by in front of the statue. "You never answered my question. You shouldn't be out here on yourself on Christmas."

"I'm waiting to see if he comes." His eyes continued to scan the streets for a familiar head of ash blond hair.

"And if he doesn't?"

"I'll keep looking."

Shiki laid her hand on Neku's shoulder to get his attention. "You love him, don't you?"

Neku would have loved to spout some crap about he could never love the man who killed him, but he wasn't able to lie like that. "I don't know."

nxj

The next Christmas Eve after the Reaper's Game found Neku at Hachiko again. There was no snow this year and out of the corner of his eye, he swore he could see a familiar pink-haired Reaper flitting about. In the entrance of stores, he could see possible players trading their hard earned yen for pins and trendy clothes.

Since there appeared to be a game in progress, Neku assumed that Joshua wouldn't be able to get away. "Joshua, when you can, come see me." Neku whispered to the Composer that he knew heard everything said in Shibuya. "There are still so many things I want to ask you. I trust you and I think I've even forgiven you now. So please, come to me soon."

Not spending anymore time, he walked towards CAT street for something warm.

nxj

_Find the player pin by the cursed statue.  
Time limit is 45 minutes.  
Failure to complete will miss getting their wish.  
_

The strange text message the third Christmas Eve after the Reaper's Game should have scared Neku. But the lack of timer and threat of erasure assured Neku that this was not the real game and he had not been killed in his sleep.

Even after almost three years, his memories of the game had not faded. There were two cursed statues that he and Shiki had freed during their first week: Hachiko and Moyai. A thorough search of Hachiko does not produce a pin, so Neku runs towards the next statue.

"Ow!" …only to run into a wall. With many other people passing through the wall, giving him odd looks, Neku can only assume that a Reaper caused this. "Damn Joshua and his inability to make things simple." he muttered. Looking around he saw the familiar red hoodie. "What is the price to pass this wall?"

The wall reaper gestured to the store behind him. "Bring me one of the lover's gifts on the fifth day of Christmas."

Sighing, he walked into the store indicated, Pavo Real Stationside. His mother loved American Christmas carols and would sing and translate them for him when he was younger. The gift he was looking for was a golden ring. Only the best for Joshua. He was lucky that he happened to have a large amount of yen on him from being paid the day before by the music store he worked at as the gold band desired cost 45000 yen.

Presenting the ring to the Reaper cleared the wall. And at the base of the Statue of Moyai was the player pin. Flipping the pin in the air and catching it, he felt the most disconcerting sensation that he had not felt since the game. His senses expanded and he could feel the thoughts and emotions of everyone in the area. "Déjà vu."

At that moment, his phone rang again, another message.

_Reach Dead God's Pad.  
Time limit is 15 minutes.  
Failure to complete will miss getting their wish._

Immediately, he turned and headed through the bus terminal towards the last place he saw Joshua. He had made it through the underpass when he hit yet another wall. Turning to the wall reaper he knew was there, Neku growled, "What's the price this time?"

"Get the flower from the pig noise." The Reaper threw Neku a shock pin.

Neku raised an eyebrow at this request. He was basically playing the game for presents. Rather than debate exactly why Joshua would have him doing this, and he wasn't stupid to think it _wasn't _him, he went to work. Scanning the area, he quickly located the pig noise and went to attack it. Concentrating on the noise, he began to float as the psych went to work, delivering shock after shock to the poor pig. When it was finally erased, a bouquet of flowers was in its place. Passing through that wall, he finally continued to Dead God's Pad, prepared for whatever would come next.

Or so he thought until he saw Joshua in a suit that must have come from Pegaso with wings folded neatly behind his back. Neku was temporarily stunned into silence.

"Oh Neku! You shouldn't have!" The Composer grabbed the flowers and the ring from his stunned proxy and pulled him through an invisible pathway to what Neku could only assume was the angel's room.

That got a reaction. "You don't come see me for almost three years and then you send me on a bunch of missions which basically drop me back into the UG, which I have no clue how you managed to pull that off without killing me this time, just to get you Christmas presents?!" Neku growled, his hands curling into fists.

Joshua tossed his hair behind him and giggled. "Well of course, my dear proxy. And what lovely gifts they are."

"Still a narcissistic bastard I see." Neku softened his expression, the anger leaking out to expose longing. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since the game. Even though you killed me, I want you more."

Joshua wrapped his arms around Neku's wait and brought them close so that their foreheads were touching. "There's plenty of time for that." He purred as Neku ran his fingers through the soft feathers of the wings. "Stay with me tonight?"

Neku smiled. "You are the best Christmas present I've gotten in a while. Of course I'll stay."

_**fin**_


End file.
